Quality Control: Measure it, Control it!

Risky business

According to Larry Goldberg, director of engineering for Beta Industries, for the many thousands of pieces of output created every hour in the pressroom, a variety of simple or sophisticated QC measures can be applied. These include statistical sampling or visual inspection and density spot checks or full sheet scans, depending on the customer’s expectations and the capabilities of the pressroom, where it is generally accepted that some waste and spoilage will occur. In contrast, materials created in the prepress department carry a much higher risk. “For example,” Goldberg says, “a bad plate can idle a press chargeable at hundreds of dollars per hour. Even when a plate appears usable, precious time is often wasted tweaking it on press, even adjusting inks or anilox rolls.”